Cowser (concussion IL), O'Neill sidelined; O's activate Mountcastle

The Orioles unexpectedly placed outfielder Colton Cowser on the 7-day concussion injured list on Friday, retroactive to Thursday. Interim manager Tony Mansolino said the concussion stemmed from a play Cowser made during Wednesday’s 5-1 win at the Phillies during his catch of Harrison Bader’s flyout to deep left in the sixth.

“Very mild in nature is the hope right now,” Mansolino said. “No timeline on it, but I would probably hope, speculate that it won’t be any more than the minimum.”

The move came among a handful of transactions, including the activation of Ryan Mountcastle from the 60-day IL. Outfielder Tyler O'Neill was also placed on the IL with right wrist inflammation, retroactive to Wednesday, and Jordyn Adams was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk.

Earlier in the day, infielder Vidal Bruján was claimed on waivers by the Braves. His spot was filled by Greg Allen, whom the O's signed to a Major League deal for outfield depth before Friday's game against the A's. The 32-year-old Allen has hit .231 over seven big league seasons but hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2023, when he played 22 games with the Yankees.

Cowser played just four games at the start of this season before spending more than two months on the IL with a fractured left thumb, and he heads back to the IL now after playing 52 games. In 56 games overall, last year's AL Rookie of the Year runner-up has hit .213 with nine homers and a .680 OPS.

This is the third trip to the IL this season for O'Neill, who exited Tuesday's game early. The 30-year-old O'Neill previously missed a month and a half with a left shoulder impingement and a few weeks with neck inflammation.

“MRI, still sorting through opinions on that,” Mansolino said of O'Neill. “Not quite sure what to think about it yet. Hoping, cautiously optimistic that it’s not significant. Cautiously optimistic that it’s more of a minimum thing for us. So we will see where that goes in the next few days.”

Mountcastle originally went on the IL on May 31 after sustaining a right hamstring strain but was moved to the 60-day IL on June 23. In nine games of a rehab assignment with Triple-A Norfolk, Mountcastle went 12-for-31 with three home runs.

“It feels really good,” said Mountcastle, who hit a solo homer in his first at-bat on Friday. “I put a lot of work in during rehab to get better physically, mentally and all that. And I’m excited to see how it shows on the field.”

The 25-year-old Adams, who has three at-bats for the Orioles in 2025, was batting .185 in 230 plate appearances at Triple-A.

Baltimore opted not to promote Dylan Beavers, who ranks as its No. 3 prospect and has a .961 OPS in 87 games with Norfolk this season, with 18 homers and a 66-to-62 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

“I’m not involved in any of that,” Mansolino said of potentially calling up Beavers. “I know [general manager Mike Elias] and the front office, they have a very specific plan in place for him, and they’re going to execute that, regardless of kind of the circumstances here.”